About
More than a designer. More than a developer.
I'm Justin, a designer, software engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience translating business problems into useful digital experiences.
How the work became connected
My career began in visual design and evolved through branding, user experience, front-end development, product strategy, and innovation. Each move was a response to the same observation: the most important decisions happen in the gaps between disciplines.
A brand that cannot be built is unfinished. A product that looks right but solves the wrong problem is wasted effort. A technically sound system that confuses the customer still fails. That range allows me to see both the experience a person needs and the systems required to deliver it.
How I approach problems
I do not begin with a predetermined solution. I begin with the business, the audience, the constraints, and the request underneath the request. Sometimes the breakthrough is a new product. Sometimes it is realizing the team has been solving the wrong problem.
The common thread has always been the same: understand the problem beneath the request and create a solution that is thoughtful, practical, and well executed.
Career and industry experience
I’ve contributed across banking, retail, healthcare, ecommerce, and government contracting. That mix includes work inside established organizations, partnerships with growing businesses, and products I have built myself. Experience includes BankBlackUSA, Mary Kay, Humana, Behance, Mogul Millennial, BlackInHR, NupeMarket, and PachLux—among others.
The nature of those relationships has varied: employment, client work, partnerships, advisory roles, and ventures. What they share is the same standard of thinking and execution.
Patents & Recognition
I am a named inventor on 20+ patents.
The work sits at the intersection of product thinking, technology, and practical implementation—not as a side credential, but as evidence of a career spent turning ambiguous problems into systems that can be used.
View patentsSelected recognition
2015 Mary Kay “Best of the Best” WOW! Award Winner
Given the highest award for performance among Mary Kay Inc. employees.
Behance Portfolio Review Dallas host
Selected by Behance to host a Dallas portfolio review, bringing local designers together for critique and community.
BlackInHR Executive Advisory Board
Providing design and development direction for the BlackInHR brand.
Adobe and industry
Adobe Beta Tester
Invited to provide product feedback to the Adobe Muse testing team.
Adobe Customer Advisory Board
Invited to advise on software and usage through solicited research.
DoD and L-3 recognition
Best Poster, 2007 National DoD FOD Conference; L-3 Tribute to Excellence for Creative Team and JCA Team.
Earlier features
Portfolio and project features over the years have included CSS Awards, CSSStar, SpicyWebdesigners, designerID “Pick of the Day,” and multiple features for the U.S.E 19 clothing website. These belong to an earlier chapter of the work and remain part of the record.
Selected ventures
Building my own products is part of the practice. It is how I stay close to the full path from idea to operation.
Kappa Card
A web-based contact-sharing platform built around the moment of introduction.
KappaChapters
A centralized directory that makes Kappa Alpha Psi chapter information easier to find and explore.
NupeMarket
A connected brand, ecommerce, and marketing operation.
Take A Number
A mobile product for food-truck operators and the customers waiting on their order.
Email Campaign Studio
A tool for creating and managing email campaigns with more intention and less friction.
BrandEZ
A product for making brand systems easier to use, share, and maintain.
“Justin always delivers quality creative to his clients, keeping the client's best interests in mind.”Janoo ChowlaMarketing and Recruiting Coordinator, The BOSS Group